In the DNA of the American soul is a rugged individualism. We differ from our European friends whose history stretches centuries into the past and whose close borders touch one another. Our country is relatively young and vast. Our predecessors who first tamed the wilderness and planted cities from the Atlantic to the Pacific had to grapple with a vast expanse of land. They were self-reliant, creative, energetic and purpose-driven.
In Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey, the hero Ulysses on his way home from the Trojan War has to pass by a lovely island where the Sirens dwell. These beautiful sea-nymphs were known to lure sailors to their death by their sweet music. To avoid hearing their bewitching song, Ulysses orders his sailors to fill their ears with beeswax. With this ruse, his men successfully escape the fatal danger of the Sirens’ seductive song.